Nara Sumi Ink Studio “Kinkoen” is a long-established Nara ink studio established in the Meiji Era, which has inherited “Nara Sumi” from the Edo Era. While keeping the traditional manufacturing method ...

NARA — Sumi ink, introduced to Japan from the Korean peninsula during the Asuka period (592-710), is indispensable for the copying of sutras and studying in general. The process of producing inksticks ...

Sumi-e, literally “charcoal drawing,” is a form of Japanese ink painting brought from China in the 12th century. Students learn to grind their own ink and execute the primary sumi-e brushstrokes to ...